The Top 5 Fantasy Football Waiver-Wire Adds at Every Position for NFL Week 8

The Top 5 Fantasy Football Waiver-Wire Adds at Every Position for NFL Week 8

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Now that we're entering Week 8 of the fantasy football season, we've officially passed the halfway point of the majority of leagues. That means that each week that passes becomes more of a must-win game, making the waiver wire your best friend heading into the second half of the season.

Today we'll move you through the top-five waiver-wire additions at each position to help you deal with bye weeks, injuries and overall poor play.

Quarterbacks

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1. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There isn't a higher priority this week than grabbing Freeman off the waiver wire.

He's coming off back-to-back games where he has been ridiculously impressive, including a 420-yard, three-touchdown performance last week. He is clearly becoming more comfortable with his top receiver Vincent Jackson, and even old-timer Dallas Clark is looking like a solid player in this offense.

While his matchup this week against the Minnesota Vikings isn't ideal, Freeman still has starting potential for the remainder of the year. Pick him up and ride his current hot streak to the playoffs.

2. Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns

When the Browns and Indianapolis Colts took the field on Sunday, no one expected Weeden to outplay Andrew Luck. However, despite losing the game, Weeden was the better quarterback on the field.

Everything seems to be coming around for Weeden. He's feeling more confident, Greg Little isn't dropping the ball and Josh Gordon looks like he'll be an absolute stud.

With a few more weeks of team's having byes upcoming, you could certainly do much, much worse than Weeden as a fill-in quarterback on your bench.

3. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins had a bye last week and a matchup with the New York Jets in Week 8, but Tannehill has been so impressive this year, I see him having a solid game regardless of these issues.

As long as he can keep himself from turning the ball over, they should put up some solid points.

4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Despite a brutal game against the San Francisco 49ers, Wilson is still worth getting picked up off the waiver wire this week.

He's generally played pretty solid after a poor performance, and playing a cupcake defense like the Detroit Lions should certainly help. Look for Wilson to have a great game this week, but be on alert next week as he's likely to backslide back towards mediocrity.

5. Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings

Much like Wilson, Ponder is coming off a horrid performance in a win over the Arizona Cardinals. However, the bigger concern with Ponder's production moving forward is Adrian Peterson.

Peterson returned to pre-injury form against Arizona as he rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown. He'll be the focal point of the offense moving forward and that doesn't bode well for Ponder's fantasy status.

He's still worth picking up because he's a threat in the red zone with his arm and legs, but if Peterson continues to run like he did on Sunday, he'll only be worth being a bye-week filler.

Running Backs

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1. Rashad Jennings, Jacksonville Jaguars

With Maurice Jones-Drew out at least one game, and maybe more, for the Jaguars, Jennings becomes to top waiver-wire addition at running back this week.

The difference between Jennings and the other backs on this list is that his team will also likely be without their starting quarterback, Blaine Gabbert. That means Chad Henne could be starting on Sunday, which means Jacksonville will likely be running the ball early and often.

If MJD is out for an extended period of time, Jennings becomes the No. 1 priority on the waiver wire heading into Week 8. However, even if Jones-Drew comes back in Week 9, Jennings is a must-have for one week.

2. Vick Ballard, Indianapolis Colts

In his first full game as a starter, Ballard had 20 carries for 84 yards. He also added a reception for 19 yards.

While those numbers aren't overly impressive, the fact that Ballard is getting that many touches a game gives him tremendous potential. I'd be a little hesitant to put Ballard in as a starter at running back this week, unless it is a deep league, but he should have great production at the flex position.

3. Daryl Richardson, St. Louis Rams

Richardson has slowly been worked into the Rams' offense and has touched the ball over 10 times in each of the past two games.

Those numbers should increase as the season continues and as Richardson continues to show how productive he can be when given the opportunity. He's averaging over five yards per carry on the season, so the potential for big production is certainly there.

Grab him now, but be prepared to hold onto him for another week or two. As his carries increase he'll become more valuable and could eventually become a constant starter at the flex position.

4. Andre Brown, New York Giants

While Brown won't be getting as many as carries as Ahmad Bradshaw each week, he seems to get getting the all-important goal-line carries. Last week he only had five carries, but he still registered 17 yards and a touchdown.

He certainly won't be a top scorer any week unless Bradshaw gets injured, but if he can continue getting those crucial touchdowns, he'll definitely be worth starting.

5. LaRod Stephens-Howling, Arizona Cardinals

There is a ton of risk with Stephens-Howling, but he is coming off a game in which he gained nearly 150 yards of total offense and recorded a touchdown. That should at least give him another week as the starting running back in Arizona.

If he can continue to play like he did in Week 7, he could eventually turn into a solid No. 2 running back for your team.

Wide Receivers

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1. Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns

Gordon's touchdown reception on Sunday gave him at least one in three-straight games. While he isn't pulling in a ton of balls or gaining massive amount of yards, the touchdowns look like they'll remain constant from here on out.

If he can continue with grow with quarterback Brandon Weeden, Gordon definitely has the potential to become a solid No. 2 receiver in most leagues.

He saw an increase in the offense last week as he recorded 67 yards and two touchdowns. Now those obviously won't be consistent numbers for Moss, but his fantasy value has definitely taken a major jump heading into Week 8.

There is still plenty of gas in Moss' tank and he'll get a chance to produce at a high level in the upcoming weeks.

3. Chris Givens, St. Louis Rams

Few players are as dynamic as Givens who has become a big-game threat over the past few weeks for the Rams. The best part about Givens is that he is being used in a number of ways in the offense.

With Sam Bradford and St. Louis becoming more confident in Givens' skills, he should continue to get more touches with each week that passes. If he can break one of those touches into a long gain, he'll be a solid option at the flex position.

4. Brandon LaFell, Carolina Panthers

There may not be a bigger boom-or-bust addition this week on the waiver wire than LaFell. He started the season as a hot commodity, but then took a major drop in recent weeks.

However, LaFell came back in Week 7 to the tune of four receptions, 53 yards and a touchdown. There may be weeks that LaFell puts up a giant goose-egg, but there may also be weeks where he is one of the top scorers of the week.

Should you be in desperate need of taking a risk in the upcoming weeks, then LaFell is your man.

5. Jeremy Kerley, New York Jets

With Santonio Holmes out of the season and Stephen Hill still getting used to the game, Kerley has some fantasy value. In Week 7, Kerley led all receivers on the team with seven receptions and 120 yards.

While there are major questions surrounding Mark Sanchez and the Jets' offense, Kerley should continue to be featured on offense for the next few weeks. That type of potential is definitely worth taking a risk by picking him up off the waiver wire.

Tight Ends

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1. Dustin Keller, New York Jets

Keller is officially back after missing four of the first five games of the season. He had seven receptions, 93 yards and a touchdown last week, and it isn't too crazy to think he can sustain that type of success for the future.

As long as Mark Sanchez doesn't completely implode on himself, Keller has plenty of fantasy value and should be picked up right away off the waiver wire.

2. Joel Dreessen, Denver Broncos

While Jacob Tamme is still Peyton Manning's top tight end target, Dreessen has still been able to be productive in terms of fantasy football. He's had three touchdown receptions in the past four games.

His total yards are still on issue (only 153 on the season), but if he can keep finding the end zone, he has some serious fantasy value.

3. Dallas Clark, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Speaking of Peyton's targets, his old target is starting to find his groove with the Buccaneers. He had 51 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 7.

With Josh Freeman beginning to play at a special level, Clark could continue to put up numbers like he did last Sunday. If he can do that, he could once again become a legitimate threat in fantasy leagues.

4. Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins

Cooley is back in Washington with Fred Davis' injury and he should be able to step in right away and provide some type of production.

Whether he'll be able to become an impact player is still yet to be seen, which is why he is ranked this low on the waiver-wire addition list this week. He's worth picking up this week and seeing what type of impact he'll have with Robert Griffin III.

5. Brandon Myers, Oakland Raiders

While Myers continues to put up solid numbers (28 receptions and 334 yards), he still hasn't found the end zone this year.

Until Myers can become at least a threat in the red zone for the Raiders, he won't be an extremely high priority on the waiver wire. However, if he begins to rack in the touchdowns, he'll be an absolute steal down the road.

Kickers

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1. Connor Barth, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers' offense has been on a complete tear in recent weeks. They might get slowed down some this week against the Minnesota Vikings, but Barth should still be one of the top scoring kickers for Week 8.

2. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts get the Tennessee Titans this week who are basically useless when attempting to stop an offense. Andrew Luck should have a bounce-back game and Vinatieri should get plenty of opportunities to put points on the board.

3. Phil Dawson, Cleveland Browns

Over the past few weeks, the Browns' offense has really started to click. While they may not be winning many games, they're at least putting points on the board.

Cleveland gets the San Diego Chargers this week who have been giving up some points in previous weeks. If the Browns can get on a role, Dawson could end up with a quality game.

4. Nick Folk, New York Jets

While the Jets' offense has been less than dynamic this season, Folk has yet to miss a field goal this season. His game against the Miami Dolphins could turn into matchup of field goals if both defenses play to their potential.

5. Steven Hauschka, Seattle Seahawks

A matchup with the Detroit Lions in Week 8 could end up being Hauschka's best matchup of the season. Detroit's defense has been worse than terrible this season and Seattle could put up points in the bunches in this game.

Look for Hauschka to get plenty of time on the field on Sunday.

Defenses

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1. New York Jets

With the Miami Dolphins coming to town this week, the Jets get the nod as the top defense on the waiver wire this week.

They'll need to slow down an increasingly confident Ryan Tannehill, but they should be motivated after a heart-breaking loss to the New England Patriots last week.

2. Oakland Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs are starting Brady Quinn this week. That alone is enough reason to start the Raiders' defense this week.

3. Detroit Lions

While I'm expecting Russell Wilson to have a bounce-back game against Detroit this week, there is always the possibility that the rookie quarterback will struggle on the road.

Only pick up Detroit if you are absolutely desperate for a defense this week.

4. Tennessee Titans

The Titans defense hasn't really been able to stop anyone this season, but with the Indianapolis Colts coming to town this week, they have a chance to put up some points.

They'll need to slow down Andrew Luck, but if that happens they could surprise some people this week in fantasy football.

5. Miami Dolphins

Yes, I'm predicting the Jets to slow down the Dolphins. However, the Dolphins could also have some success at slowing down the Jets.

They don't have that great of a chance, but once again, desperation can make you reach for a defense like Miami.